Punta rock, or Belizean punta, is a form of
Garifuna music originating in
Belize
Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wa ...
and created by
Pen Cayetano. Songs are usually sung in
Belizean Kriol or
Garifuna
The Garifuna people ( or ; pl. Garínagu in Garifuna) are a people of mixed free African and indigenous American ancestry that originated in the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent and speak Garifuna, an Arawakan language, and Vincentian C ...
and rarely in Spanish or English. Many
Garifuna American
Garifuna Americans or Black Carib Americans are Americans who are descendants of free African people and Indigenous people of the Americas that originated in the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent And The Grenadines. Garifuna Americans who’s an ...
singers perform the genre as well.
Origins
Punta rock is a subgenre of
punta that was created by
Pen Cayetano in Belize in 1978.
What is Punta?
/ref> Punta is a style of traditional music and dance that developed among the Garifuna people of Saint Vincent, Honduras, Belize, Guatemala, and Nicaragua
Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean Sea, Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to ...
.
While this style is unique, calypso and soca have had some influence on it. Like calypso and soca, punta rock was used for both social commentary and risqué humor, though the initial wave of punta acts eschewed the former. Punta rock is played at parties, celebrations, parks, and other outdoor locations. Lord Rhaburn and the Cross Culture Band were integral in the acceptance of punta by Belizeans (namely Kriols) through their performance of calypso songs about punta.
Notable artists
Belize